REVISED AFRICA FLIGHTS AND CHOICES JANUARY 3, 2017
Hello all
I know that I wrote that I would leave you alone until after the start of the semester but Beth emailed me about an important change in our flight plans. I need to get that information on to you along with some new options.
This change affects primarily those travelers planning to leave Cape Town on June 6, 2017. Travelers leaving Africa on June 2 will feel minimal to zero impact and any impact will be only on the outbound flight.
Virgin Air has changed its plan for ourtransatlantic flight from London on June 7. This flight will no longer operate as a nonstop direct flight from London to Dulles. Instead there will be a stopover and connection at JFK airport near New York and then a domestic flight onward to Dulles, arriving at 3:31 PM on June 7. Here is the new flight information from Beth, showing return only as the outbound flight is not affected. Note that the June 6 flight from Johannesburg to London is not affected either.
VS 602 JNB LHR 825P 635A+1 Johannesburg-London
VS 003 LHR JFK 905A+1 1140A+1 London-JFK
VS4717 JFK IAD 200P+1 331P+1 JFK-Dulles
With this new option you will have to pass through customs, passport control, etc at JFK and checkin again for the domestic flight to Dulles. There is no cost associated with this change in flight plan. If you booked your return flight already then this is your new flight plan and if you are satisfied with the changes above then you do not have to do anything except to let Beth and me know your decision. (phone or email just to verify).
There is no change to the outbound Virgin flight on May 12 or to the return Virgin flights for the travelers leaving Africa from Durban on June 2. The June 6 flight from Johannesburg to London is not affected either. The change affects only the June 7 transatlantic leg between London and Dulles.
With the changes to this transatlantic flight some additional options open up.
For example, you can opt to stay an extra night in Cape Town and use our original flight plan (Johannesburg-London and London-Dulles direct) but leaving on June 7 not June 6. This flight has the same plan as the original-just one day later. That is-there would be no layover at JFK. There is no extra cost for this day-late flight. The only additional cost would be the extra night's lodging in Cape Town and other expenses such as additional meals and likely airport transfer as well. If you want this option then you will definitely need to let both me and Beth know so that we can make lodging and flight arrangements.
In addition, the changes in the Virgin flight allowed Beth to go in and look at another flight option on a different carrier.
Shewas able to put together a British Air (BA) flight plan for the entire tripthat has a slightly different schedule compared to the new flight plan on Virgin. Her new flight plan on BA includes both transatlantic segments of the trip as well as the domestic flight from Durban to Cape Town in South Africa. Because some members of the Cape Town group might prefer this BA plan I am pasting it below.
BA 216 Q 13MAY IADLHR 600P 620A 13MAY Dulles-London
BA 055 Q 13MAYLHRJNB705P 705A 14MAY London-Johannesburg
BA6310 V 02JUN DURCPT 1045A1255P Durban-Cape Town
BA 058 O 06JUN CPTLHR 735P 635A 07JUN Cape Town-London
BA 217 O 07JUN LHRIAD 940A1245P London-Dulles
This new BA flight plan above would substitute for the entire Virgin flight plan that we chose originally. The big advantage of this new plan is that it includes a direct flight from Cape Town to London. It eliminates the domestic flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg on June 6. This is an advantage because it includes one less layover (in Johannesburg) and avoids the busy, crowded transfer from the domestic to the international terminal at Johannesburg. Also, there is no layover or connection at JFK. So this BA flight plan offers a reduction in travel hassle compared to our original plan and to the changed Virgin flights. Layover times in Londonare also different but still sufficient to visit the city on the way over to Africa.
The BA flight plan shown above costs $107.24 extra. This takes into account both the change to the direct flight from Cape Town to Londonand the subtraction of the domestic flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. If you want this BA option then you will need to contact Beth so that she can take care of the switch. Please keep me informed of your decision.
Although the BA flight plan offers some additional convenience, it does have a disadvantage. Its times do not match up exactly with the arrival/departure times for the Virgin flights that some of us will still need to take or choose to take. However this disadvantage is not significant. We will just need to establish a meeting point at Heathrow Airport in London so that all travelers on all flights can get together once we all touch down. Arrival times in Johannesburg for the Virgin and BA flights are about an hour apart and this is not a major problem either because we will all end up in the exact same reception area to meet with our ground transport.
In summary, Virgin Air has made revisions to our return flight from London on June 7.Our original non-stop flight from London to Dulles no longer exists on June 7.It is now a one-stop flight with a connection in JFK before going on to Dulles. This change also generates new travel options.
If you are a Cape Town traveler and you are satisfied with the revised flight that includes a June 7 layover and connection at JFK, let Beth know immediately and keep me in the loop. There is no added cost for this.
If you are a Cape Town traveler and you want to stay extra time in Cape Town and leave Africa on June 7 not June 6 so that you have the Virgin Air flight with no JFK layover on your return then contact both me and Beth immediately so that we can set up the changes. Your added cost will be the extra day of lodging and activity in Cape Town.
If you are a Cape Town traveler and you want to change to the “new” BA flight plan that Beth put together then contact Beth immediately and keep me in the loop. This change will cost an extra $107.24. We will arrange all travelers on all flights to meetup in London and Johannesburg airports.
If you are not travelling to Cape Town at all and are departing Africa on June 2 then you should not be affected by the changes at all except possibly by walking to the designated meet-up point in London.
Of course you can always decide on a different travel plan of your own, if you have one that suits your needs and finances better, but again, please keep me in the loop so I know. All students are expected to be present for the first class on the afternoon (local time) of May 15 at Lesedi Cultural Village between Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa.
Whatever you decide, it is important to let me and Beth know as soon as possible. Letting Beth know quickly will help to avoid any price increases.
Please feel free to ask questions.